Clan-Destine Vacation
by Kay Willow
Summary: CCD -- Suoh's family goes on vacation. And, predictably, nothing goes right.
1. CDV: Chapter 1

This was a rather long time in coming, but here it is. ^_^ This was the   
Lame Untitled Camping Fic, and thanks go to Shara-san for graciously   
suggesting the title I wound up using while simultaneously making me fall   
off my chair laughing.  
  
Anyway, this is only the first part. The whole thing is written but I'm   
going to send it out in bits and pieces because it's LONG. ^_^  
  
Absent-minded Notes: I use the word "Hahaue" to refer to Suoh's mother   
because they never gave her a name and because I don't know the real word he   
uses. I know Chichiue is the polite for "father", and "chichi" and "haha"   
are how the books tell you "father" and "mother" are said, so it makes sense   
- and sounds right - that Hahaue be "mother".  
  
Also, words in "(parentheses and quotes like this)" are spoken in English.   
^_^ Suoh's father is never mentioned, so I just lifted 'Ishibara' from   
Kristin Huntsman's Inevitablity and hoped she didn't mind.  
  
And finally, take pity on any errors I've made. My grammar and   
spell-checkers are mentally retarded. Proof: grammar-checker told me that   
"most mature" should become "maturest". My spell-checker then told me that   
this was not a word. *sigh*  
  
  
A Clan-Destine Vacation  
Part 1  
*Kay Willow*  
  
As Saturdays go, Suoh thought, this one isn't starting off so badly.  
  
Saturdays were usually the days he had the most trouble with. Kaichou   
slacked off even more than usual on Saturdays, in anticipation of a rest   
from all his hard work avoiding hard work. Even Ijyuin tended to slack off   
on Saturdays, daydreaming about how he'd spend the next day with   
Ohkawa-kaichou.  
  
Honestly, Suoh didn't know how any work got done around here at all. Nobody   
ever caught him ignoring his duties or mooning over Nagisa-san when there   
were things to be done. This WAS an enormous, nearly city-sized facility. To   
be granted the responsibility to care for even a part of it was a full-time   
job, not a game like Ijyuin and Kaichou seemed to think it was most of the   
time...  
  
"Takamura-san! Takamura-san!"  
  
Oh, no. In less than a minute, he'd gone from pleasure to exasperation to   
despair. Somehow, he knew what was coming. Not Hahaue. Please, not Hahaue.  
  
A young girl with a long brown ponytail - Miyuki-senpai? No, I could've   
sworn she flunked out last quarter. - sprinted in front of him, panting.   
"This came for you by way of the Primary building," she gasped, staring at   
him with adoring eyes in spite of her breathlessness. She's what, seven   
years older than me? Then she straightened and frowned at the unmarked   
envelope she held. "Nobody can recall when or where it was delivered. Nobody   
can remember it being delivered at all. But Rijichou says it's for you,   
so..."  
  
Oh, no. If SHE bothered directing it to me, that means it's from...  
  
He took the letter, thanked the girl, and moved on.  
  
Hahaue.  
  
Suoh opened the letter hesitantly, as if afraid it might explode - and,   
given his mother's training methods, it just might. It didn't seem her   
style, however; Hahaue always liked watching as her apprentices/children   
played through her little gauntlets.  
  
The letter was short and simple:  
  
'Suoh-san, the family is planning a weekend at our Hokkaido cabin. Your   
younger brother and sister will be coming, and your brother's "someone" will   
be coming, as well as your father. You need bring no special equipment when   
you come. We leave on Friday the twenty-first.'  
  
There was no signature, but there didn't need to be. It was Hahaue, all   
right.  
  
So Akurei and Kasumi will be coming... and Wakaba-san, also. It's a bit   
surprising that Father should come, though, Suoh mused to himself as he   
walked, absently ducking out of Chuusonjie-senpai's path as she came roaring   
down the road, waving around a mallet the size of her head. No special   
equipment - no tear bombs or antidotes, and the like. It doesn't seem to   
bode well that both Rei-chan AND Hahaue are bringing their "someone",   
though... that probably means...  
  
Suoh didn't even let that thought reach it's completion.  
  
He crossed the school-grounds without thinking about it, and entered the   
Student Council Room with a resigned sigh. Kaichou would have to be told, of   
course; he would need to take off both Friday and Saturday next week. He   
could only pray that Nokoru didn't goof off TOO much while he was away...  
  
Nokoru was standing by the window as he entered, and turned with a brilliant   
smile. "Suoh," he called. "What are you looking so down for?"  
  
"I've been called to a family gathering," Suoh said quietly, looking to one   
side. Somehow, it didn't feel right to leave his Kaichou behind. "Hahaue   
tells me it's next week, and I have to be at the ferry where we usually   
leave from early or I'll miss it--"  
  
"Kyaa, your mother is such a generous woman," Nokoru sighed, moving down   
from his desk and taking something from the surface. "Inviting someone who's a   
near-perfect stranger to a family gathering." His tone was pitched low, almost   
humming with pleasure.  
  
What? Suoh definitely didn't like the sound of that.  
  
"Whyever does your family go camping in Hokkaido, though?"  
  
Suoh stiffened. "K... Kaichou, what--"  
  
Smiling in that WAY he smiled whenever he was happy but knew those around   
him weren't going to be half so glad, Nokoru handed over a sheet of paper.  
  
'Imonoyama Nokoru-sama: We, the Takamura clan, cordially invite you on a   
camping expedition on the island of Hokkaido. We will be spending three days   
and two nights at one with the wilderness, leaving early on Friday the   
twenty-first from Ichi-hatoba mooring point and returning late Sunday the   
twenty-third. Please respond through our son, Takamura Suoh-san. We are   
certain that you, as an energetic and focused young man, will appreciate a   
few days' relaxation from your rigorous schedule and various   
responsibilities.'  
  
Suoh stared at the note, momentarily stunned at his mother's flexibility.   
Amazing, how two notes so perfectly similar could sound so completely   
DISSIMILAR...  
  
"What sort of clothes should I bring?" Nokoru mused aloud. "Nothing too   
slight; it can get dreadfully cold in Hokkaido..."  
  
Suoh could feel his hands twitch with the desire to shred the invitation,   
but he forced it down. Nokoru had already read the note and clearly planned   
on accepting, whether the actual note still existed or not. It would be a   
pointless gesture at this point. The only course left was reason, appealing   
to Nokoru's logical side - a side of himself that Nokoru was fond of   
exercising whenever he stopped playing around.  
  
"Kaichou, surely you're not going?" he demanded, putting just the right   
amount of disbelief into his voice to make it sound amazed to the point of   
scorn. "I'll ask you to remember what happened the LAST time you attended   
one of my family's affairs."  
  
Nokoru sweatdropped.  
  
"And the time before that," Suoh added. "And every time."  
  
Nokoru shrugged it off. "I'm sure it was an accident, Suoh," he stated   
confidently.  
  
"What, the poison that just HAPPENED to fall into your sushi?" Suoh   
returned. "And the darts that just HAPPENED to fall from my cousin's hands   
in the general direction of your head? And the crocodile pit that just   
HAPPENED to have been built right under the place where your sleeping pallet   
was positioned?"  
  
With a slight cough, the blond tried, "It's only your mother's way of   
telling you how much she trusts you, Suoh--"  
  
"I think the only thing it says is how much of an IDIOT I am to ever allow   
you to go there--"  
  
"Come on, Suoh! I DO need a vacation--"  
  
"From WHAT? You're just trying to get out of two days of PAPERWORK!"  
  
The doors opened dramatically. Suoh nearly groaned as he saw Akira emerge,   
with his usual bubbly smile and a tray of orange juice, from behind them.   
Just what I need. As if I don't have enough problems arguing with Kaichou   
alone!  
  
"Mou, I'm so glad you're up, Kaichou!" laughed the Treasurer gaily. "Usually   
you're still half-dead this early in the morning!"  
  
Both older boys sweatdropped.  
  
"I brought orange juice," Akira continued obliviously. "Fresh-squeezed,   
without pulp." He turned to beam at them admiringly. "I can't believe you   
two are already so involved that you're arguing about Kaichou's working   
habits!"  
  
Nokoru's sweatdrop doubled in size. "We're not arguing about my working   
habits, Akira."  
  
"Oh?" The dark-haired boy looked puzzled. "Well, if not the usual, what are   
you arguing about?"  
  
No... No way...  
  
"We were talking about the trip Suoh's family invited me on," Nokoru said   
enthusiastically.  
  
You've got to be KIDDING me!  
  
Completely ignoring Suoh's freaked out expression, Akira inquired eagerly,   
"Takamura-senpai's family is going on a trip? What kind of trip?"  
  
"Camping in Hokkaido!"  
  
"K... Kaichou!" Suoh finally managed to choke out.  
  
Akira turned liquid brown eyes on Suoh. "That sounds like a lot of fun! I   
wish I could come!"  
  
"I don't see any reason why you can't," Nokoru said firmly. "Suoh, what do   
you--"  
  
"NO!" It was going to be insanely difficult enough as it was; traipsing   
through unfamiliar land, heading to a destination his mother was SURE to   
have booby-trapped inside and out, while having to protect both Nokoru AND   
himself. Add Akira and Suoh was quite certain he'd collapse just thinking   
about it. "I, I mean..." He fished for an appropriate explanation. "Ah,   
Hahaue is very specific about who comes along on her trips. Nobody who   
doesn't belong, or she gets very upset. You understand, Ijyuin."  
  
One look at Akira's face told him that he DIDN'T understand. Most likely,   
Akira couldn't fathom anybody getting upset at all; heavens only knew he and   
his immediate circle of friends and family never got upset no matter the   
situation. The only person he'd ever met who was prone to negative emotions   
was Utako, and see how well he understood HER.  
  
Suoh began to feel remarkably guilty for all that he hadn't even really said   
anything wrong. He began fumbling for something suitable to say as visions   
of the aforementioned Utako stalking him with a malevolent expression and   
one of Chuusonjie-senpai's mallets danced through his head. "Ah, well...   
I'll ask her, of course," he said quickly. "If she says yes, there's no   
reason you can't come!"  
  
Perfect, he thought with satisfaction as Akira clasped his hands together   
happily and absolutely sparkled with excitement. I'll just tell him   
tomorrow that so sorry, we tried, but the ferry is full. Or maybe there's no   
more room in the cabin, what with Kasumi coming this time.  
  
"Why wait?" Nokoru asked innocently. Suoh froze, hearing in those two warm   
words the death of all his relief. "Didn't your father insist on getting a   
cell phone for your mother a year or so ago?"  
  
S... Shimatta.  
  
"Yes," he admitted reluctantly, trying to sound like he'd forgotten. "He   
did."  
  
With a determined nod, the CLAMP Elementary School's president turned on his   
heel and walked around his desk. Picking up his phone, he began to dial a   
number.  
  
When did he find out Hahaue's cell number? Wait - when did he find out   
Chichiue forced her to get a cell phone at all?  
  
"Takamaura-san?" he heard Nokoru say in his most coaxing voice, and knew his   
cause was lost.  
  
***  
  
Which was why, the next Friday - naturally, a featureless and misty gray   
morning - he found himself waiting at Ichi-hatoba mooring docks with his   
Kaichou and Ijyuin to either side of him. Somehow, the CLAMP Campus's docks   
were completely empty. Suoh had to admit that sometimes it seemed like   
Nokoru's mother was almost as paranoid as his own mother.  
  
Except Hahaue wouldn't have been satisfied with clearing the docks if   
Nokoru-san had been her One. She'd have locked all the exits and entrances,   
wired the entire perimeter, secured directionals pointing the wrong way at   
all the sea-entrances, and then been present herself. If any were available,   
she'd probably have brought other Takamura for maximum security.  
  
Someday, I will possess the power to protect Nokoru-san so securely, Suoh   
thought to himself, watching the bright lights of the ferry draw nearer. I   
will be head of the Takamura Clan, and my "someone" will be the most   
important person in the entire world to the best guardians in the entire   
world.  
  
That thought granted him peace for about five seconds.  
  
"Ho! Aniue!"  
  
Suoh sighed as both his companions turned in the direction of the voice -   
voices, indeed, as it seemed that Rei's One had brought her entire entourage   
to the docks. At least, he managed to console himself, she wouldn't be able   
to bring them.  
  
Four people came into view as the ferry was tied to the docks - the one in   
the lead immediately identifiable as Suoh's brother. The boy, seemingly   
younger than Akira, had shoulder-length hair of a deep blue color, tied back   
neatly at the nape of his neck. His eyes were the same gold as Suoh's,   
although perhaps a shade more towards brown. He was wiry and slender; even   
at his age it was clear that he was a professional fighter.  
  
He moves completely without grace. Hahaue will have his ears.  
  
Two men who were clearly butlers tottered behind him, heaving suitcases.   
Behind them - and oh, was she a sight to behold! - was his One, Nimiurai   
Wakaba. She was a tall, willowy girl of perhaps fifteen, and she carried   
herself with a notably superior bearing. She wore an exquisite gown, hardly   
fit for a luxury cruise ship, much less the simple ferry they would be   
taking, and wore a plentiful amount of jewelry. Her black hair was perfectly   
coiled into a stylish bun, and her makeup was immaculately applied. Though   
all her companions, including Rei, carried enough luggage to break a horse's   
back, she carried nothing.  
  
Suoh did not like her eyes. They were lazily half-lidded, like a predator's,   
and the smile that curved her lips when she spotted Nokoru - looking right   
through Akira and Suoh as if they didn't exist - was also that of a hunter.  
  
Forcing his personal opinion aside, he nodded to her respectfully. She was   
his brother's One.  
  
Wakaba ignored him. "Imonoyama-san," she purred huskily. "It is such a   
pleasure to see you again."  
  
"And you as well, Nimiurai-san," Nokoru returned cheerfully, managing to   
seem like a welcome substitute for the absent sun.  
  
Her eyes widened ever-so-slightly, a calculated gesture that made Rei   
grimace. "You remember me, Imonoyama-san. I never suspected I made such an   
impression on you."  
  
Suoh did not recall it that way. As far as he could remember, she had nearly   
assaulted the younger boy in an attempt to win some kind of response from   
him. I've never seen anyone try so hard to seduce an eleven-year-old.  
  
Rei rolled his eyes at her. Suoh had to pity him.  
  
"I never forget a woman's name," Nokoru told her simply, bowing over her   
extended hand in a gentlemanly fashion.  
  
She flushed with pleasure at the chivalry, and tightened her lips with   
displeasure at the implied interest - in all women, not in her particularly.  
  
Watching the paradox, Suoh had the uneasy feeling that his trip had just   
gotten all the more difficult.  
  
"You already know Suoh, of course," Nokoru continued, "but I believe this is   
your first time meeting Ijyuin Akira."  
  
"Charmed," Wakaba breathed, not taking her attention away from the   
Imonoyama. She held out her hand for Akira, who shook it, flustered.   
Flashing him an irritated glance, she withdrew the hand and grabbed Nokoru's   
arm with it. "Shall we go on board? This sea air is ruining my hair."  
  
Both Akira and Suoh stared after them. A rather blatant woman. She's gotten   
even worse. I'll be lucky if she doesn't try to rape him before the weekend   
is through, Suoh thought resignedly.  
  
Rei nudged Akira. The two dark-haired boys shook hands, Rei smiling warmly.   
"I'm Takamura Akurei. I'm this one's younger brother by two years," he added   
helpfully, jerking his head at Suoh.  
  
Still trying to be tough, Rei-chan? Suoh shook his head amusedly and moved   
up the plank after Wakaba and Nokoru. Hearing the younger Takamura's   
startled exclamation and their hurried footsteps, he realized with   
distraction that he was probably the most mature person on this trip who   
wouldn't be trying to kill them.  
  
It was not a good thing to know.  
  
His mother was waiting just inside, kneeling on a pad beside his father.   
Both adults wore neutral expressions; Hahaue's perfected from years of   
practice, Chichiue's only slightly flawed for all that he never used it.   
Chichiue was Hahaue's One, and though they were not married her children had   
come to accept him as their father without question. Suoh and Akurei bowed   
to their parents as their guests chatted pleasantly.  
  
"I never expected to see you so tall, Ijyuin-san--"  
  
"What are we waiting for?" Wakaba interrupted suddenly, irritation in her   
voice. "Why haven't we left yet?"  
  
There was a long moment of silence as everyone processed this piece of   
remarkable rudeness. After almost a full minute, during which everyone   
waited for Wakaba to excuse herself and she did not, Hahaue noted in her   
usual mild tone, "We still have a relative to wait for."  
  
Suoh glanced around the room; a quick scan revealed Kasumi huddling on all   
fours in one corner, seeming more beast than human. If Kasumi was here,   
Hahaue and her One were here, Rei and his One were here, and Suoh and both   
his guests were here, then...  
  
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" the young woman demanded, whipping her head   
around as if forgetting that in its bound state her hair couldn't swing   
defiantly. "If anyone is this late, we ought to just leave them."  
  
Suoh said quietly, "We are waiting for Takamura Ryoko, the oldest daughter   
of my mother's sister." A swift glance at Hahaue's face proved this true;   
her kind smile was a mask, but a good indication of how she was feeling.  
  
"What do I care?" Wakaba demanded of him.  
  
Rei stiffened, and Suoh touched his knee gently. No arguments here, in front   
of Hahaue - especially not with his One. He could ask her to modify her   
behavior some other time.  
  
All this time, and all these years, and we've only seen each other twice -   
and still, he worships me as an idol. How exhausting, to have to live up to   
his expectations always... One of the most troublesome things about growing   
up in the Takamura household was learning how to accept Rei's adoration -   
and not to shatter it. It was also one of the things he was glad he'd been   
able to leave behind when he'd found Nokoru.  
  
Wakaba pouted. "I don't think we ought to wait for her."  
  
Nokoru shifted his weight to face her fully, his expression concerned. "We   
most certainly ought to wait. Perhaps something's happened to her?"  
  
Suoh and Akira exchanged a disturbed glance before turning to study their   
Kaichou closely. If the "Damsel In Distress" syndrome began kicking in   
early...  
  
Come to think of it, there will only be two males on this whole journey,   
aside from us. Everyone else will be female; I think Ryoko's One is a woman,   
too. Suoh stifled a sigh. Just what I needed. Another weekend running   
around saving women, but this time running around saving women I'll have to   
deal with for the rest of my life.  
  
"No need to send out the cavalry," came a dry voice, Kansai-accented in a   
disturbingly familiar matter.  
  
Two women stood in the doorway. Of everyone in the ferry's cabin, they were   
without doubt the ones who stood out the most.  
  
For one thing, while all the others wore either school uniforms or formal attire -   
Wakaba in her gown, and Hahaue and Chichiue in formal hakama-and-kimono -   
they both wore denim short-shorts, the ragged edges proof that they'd been   
torn even shorter than they normally would've been. One of them wore a tiny   
tank-top, leaving her tanned midriff bare, and the other wore a simple t-shirt   
under a leather jacket.  
  
For another, both these girls seemed to be at least seventeen, and despite   
not wearing make-up or fancy dresses they managed to look FAR more mature   
than Wakaba.  
  
But... I do hope they brought some warmer clothes.  
  
The girl in the leather jacket moved forward with a liquid elegance that   
Suoh had envied since before he could remember. She knelt before her aunt   
and uncle. "Obasama. Ojisama," she murmured, her eyes closed.  
  
"Ryoko-san," Hahaue returned, smiling enigmatically. "Welcome home."  
  
Ryoko turned and knelt to Suoh, who bowed in return. "Itoko-san."  
  
"Itoko-san," he responded.  
  
Ryoko stood then and asked, in English, the room at large, "(Does anyone   
else here understand English?)"  
  
The trio of CLAMP Campus Detectives all stood, Akira with a pleased grin and   
Nokoru whipping out his fan, which had printed on it "Conversant in several   
languages" written in both Japanese and English.  
  
Hahaue smiled sweetly at the three of them, then turned to Ryoko and told   
her, "As you know, all the Takamura are at least semi-knowledgeable of the   
English language."  
  
Rei nodded thoughtfully. Wakaba looked furious. "Does everyone here speak   
that barbaric language except me?"  
  
The other girl laughed in a throaty manner that made Wakaba quiver in   
jealousy. "(She's a rude one, isn't she?)" she said in English. Half the   
room turned away to hide laughter - Ryoko didn't even bother. Wakaba turned   
a brilliant shade of crimson, then spun around to face Rei, as if demanding   
to know why he wasn't saying anything.  
  
And so, absolutely deadpan, Rei observed in English, "(She only gets worse   
once you know her.)"  
  
Fortunately for him, everyone managed to keep straight faces for that one.  
  
Ryoko's companion knelt in a similar manner before Hahaue and Chichiue.   
"Takamura-sama," she said smoothly, her dark voice pouring over the words   
which must have been strange to her. "Ishibara-sama," she added to Chichiue.   
"It is an honor to be here."  
  
"It is our honor, to have you as guest," Hahaue said, amusement coloring her   
voice.  
  
Wakaba flushed to realize that the American girl spoke Japanese. Ryoko cast   
her a malevolent grin and told everyone, "This is my 'someone', Marian   
Angler."  
  
Rei moved uneasily. "Merianu?" he tried. "Angura?"  
  
"Call me Meri," volunteered the American, smiling. "You've got it close   
enough. I knew nobody here would be able to pronounce my name when I agreed   
to come."  
  
With a toss of her hair - again, not remembering that it was bound - Wakaba   
announced, "Now that they're here, let's GO."  
  
"(She really DOES only get worse as you get to know her,)" Ryoko commented,   
beaming at the girl in question when she turned to scowl at the foreign   
language.  
  
*****  
  
DISCLAIMER: CLAMP owns the CCD Trio, naturally. They also own Suoh's mother   
- she must not be pleased about that! - but everyone else you may see   
mentioned here is mine. If you really want to use my Takamura (yeah right)   
ask me first, because otherwise I'll have to sic Shigeru on you, and you   
wouldn't like that. ^_^  
  
Email. Review. IM. Do anything. Let me know you're reading this. ^_^  
  
Kay Willow  
kay_willow@hotmail.com 


	2. CDV: Chapter 2

Absent-Minded Notes: ...it wasn't a deliberate reference to apple pie, I   
swear...  
  
----  
  
A Clan-Destine Vacation  
Part 2  
*Kay Willow*  
  
  
Nokoru had taken to Meri immediately. The two of them were off to one side,   
chattering amiably in English, much to the fury of Wakaba. At first, she'd   
refused to leave, but when Nokoru had to translate everything for her she   
had collected the scattered remnants of her dignity and stalked off.  
  
Suoh wasn't certain where Akira had gotten off to, and that worried him (he   
didn't put it past his mother to try and kill them before they even landed   
on the island) but he assumed that Akira had found the kitchen. It was a   
rather large kitchen - this was a large ferry, after all, and they WERE the   
only ones on it - and Suoh imagined he was trying to bake something.  
  
I hope it's apple pie. I hear Wakaba-sama is allergic to cinnamon.  
  
Rei, Ryoko, and Suoh all sat cross-legged on the deck. Suoh and Ryoko would   
both cast anxious glances at their respective charges every few minutes, but   
Rei didn't seem to mind at all that he had no clue where his own was.  
  
"You can't feel her?" Suoh asked disbelievingly.  
  
The younger boy shook his head. "Nope. I know, however, that she's going to   
start getting seasick any minute now. She pulls this routine every time   
she's forced on a boat. Or on planes. Or even if she's in a car for more   
than twenty minutes."  
  
"You sound like you got the worst of the lot," Ryoko noted. "Is there   
anything good about her?"  
  
Rei thought about it. Then bowed his head miserably. "She's... clever, I   
guess... Wakaba-sama knows exactly what she wants, and she'll do anything to   
get it."  
  
"What does she want?" Suoh demanded instantly, knowing what was coming.  
  
"A... A scholarship to CLAMP Campus," Rei said, blushing. "She... she's also   
been saying a lot lately that she likes exotic things. That started... a   
week ago... when I told her about--"  
  
"The trip?" Suoh sighed. "Good grief, Rei." Definitely after Kaichou.  
  
"You two are so lucky," the nine-year old complained. "Ryoko-san, your One   
is funny and friendly... Aniue, YOUR One is the most perfect person alive--"  
  
"If an irrepressible slacker," Suoh answered automatically.  
  
"And *I* have Wakaba-sama." Rei sighed. "She hates me."  
  
There was an especially loud laugh from Meri, who was deeply engrossed in   
whatever she and Nokoru were talking about. Nokoru had his fan out, but it   
was impossible to read whatever was printed on it. The older girl held out   
her hand, and he gave it to her to observe more closely.  
  
"Where is he getting all those fans from?" Ryoko asked. "I've seen him   
wielding four different ones, with four different statements in four   
different inks. Does he have wrist-sheaths, or something? How do they always   
express what he's feeling?"  
  
Suoh shrugged. "It's just Kaichou."  
  
Ryoko shook her head, and her blue-green hair fell forward over her eyes. "I   
don't get it."  
  
"*I* think Aniue's One is a mental case."  
  
They turned to face the tiny girl who'd made the sullen comment.  
  
"Come here, Kasumi-chan," Suoh said, smiling. "Someday you'll find your   
someone, too. And you won't even care if he's a mental case."  
  
The little girl scampered across the deck on all fours and clambered up into   
Suoh's lap, where he promptly cuffed her ears.  
  
"And he's NOT a mental case." Suoh ignored her defiant golden glare. "The   
term is eccentric."  
  
Kasumi pouted for a moment, then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck   
and glowered fiercely at her other relatives. "I want YOU to be my One,   
Aniue."  
  
"But then you'd be STUCK with the mental case," Suoh told her, feigning   
astonishment. "I would never force you to deal with such an obvious   
lunatic--"  
  
"He's not a mental case, he's eccentric," she corrected obliviously, burying   
her face in his shoulder. She was one of two people Suoh would ever allow to   
come this close to him, and even Nokoru wasn't so obsessed with touch that   
he would try it. "Beside, I said I think he's nuts, not that I didn't LIKE   
him."  
  
"Oh-ho, is that how it goes?" Suoh raised his chin a bit as she tightened   
her grip menacingly, and almost casually took back the throwing knife she'd   
lifted from his belt. "Kasumi-chan, don't touch my weapons."  
  
"When do I get my own?"  
  
"When Hahaue thinks it's time to search for your One."  
  
"I want YOU to be my One!" she insisted.  
  
"I doubt Hahaue would accept that."  
  
Ryoko chuckled. "Kasumi-chan, a Takamura has to become somebody ELSE'S one.   
You can't be another Takamura's One!"  
  
"Why the hell not?" retorted the tiny ninja. "I'm going to be Aniue's One   
whether YOU like it or not." She clenched her arms even tighter around   
Suoh's neck, and he began to wonder if she'd kill him rather than accept   
that he couldn't be her One. "Aniue's going to be the Takamura head one day,   
and when he is I'll protect him."  
  
"Commendable, 'Mi-chan," Rei said pompously. "Stupid, but commendable."  
  
"Shut UP, 'niisan, or I swear I'll tell Aniue about the time you nearly   
stabbed yourself in the foot at dinner trying to demonstrate a medit--"  
  
"STOP, ALREADY!" he cried in horrified tones as Suoh and Ryoko to burst out   
laughing.  
  
"Tell me about YOUR One, Ryoko," Kasumi demanded, her shock of messy blue   
hair falling into her eyes.  
  
"Ryoko-SAN," Suoh prompted, tugging on a lock of hair. His sister glared at   
him irritably.  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "Nothing much to tell."  
  
Kasumi rolled her eyes. "Then what's the POINT? Isn't the reason a Takamura   
has a One is to protect someone important?"  
  
"The purpose is to stabilize," Rei corrected, reciting the same speech   
Hahaue had used on them all. "To create order and reason in a disorderly and   
unreasonable world. To have a focus, a cause, and a system of beliefs."  
  
"And it's always a plus if they're important enough to change things, but   
that's not the way it is." Ryoko shrugged. "Wanna know about Marian? She's a   
forest ranger."  
  
Three sets of gold eyes leveled on her flatly.  
  
"No, really. She IS!" Ryoko insisted laughingly. "Oi! Marian! What do you do   
for a living?"  
  
With a practiced gesture, the blond woman reached into her tote bag and   
pulled out a wallet, which she flipped open to display a badge. "US Ranger,"   
she called back.  
  
"Thanks!" Ryoko flashed her cousins a grin. "See? She's a ranger, in college   
for environmental science."  
  
Kasumi exchanged a dry glance with Suoh which told him frankly what she   
thought of THAT. "If my One ever decided to go into something like   
environmental science, I'd tell him he was cheating himself." After a   
moment, she added, "And your One, too, Aniue. He's better that that."  
  
"Why, I thought a mental case like him would be just perfect for a career in   
environmental science," Suoh teased.  
  
"He's not a mental case! He's eccentric!" Kasumi insisted, punching him in   
the arm for emphasis.  
  
Ryoko only smiled. "It's what she wants. And she COULD go into a   
better-paying field, or a more respected one - but she loves nature. That's   
what drew me to her." Green eyes unfocused and stared off into the distance.  
  
Rei cast an alarmed glance at Suoh, who shrugged. Ryoko's relationship with   
her One wasn't his concern, and it wouldn't be the first time a Takamura had   
been 'involved' with her 'someone'. And it probably wouldn't be such a   
foreign notion to you, either, Rei-chan, if your own One wasn't such a royal   
pain that you'd sooner get 'involved' with a donkey.  
  
Suoh sighed and cradled Kasumi closer without thinking about it. "That's   
what the bond is, Kasumi-chan. You fight constantly for this person - not   
only because you must protect him, but also because you need to make things   
better for him, because you need to make him happy. It isn't just the   
physical; if it was, we might as well hire ourselves out as bodyguards."  
  
A hand came down on his shoulder suddenly, and he would have been alarmed if   
he hadn't *felt* Nokoru's approach, deep down in the core of himself. The   
Imonoyama was smiling sweetly, and Suoh couldn't help smiling back.  
  
Kasumi stared up into the blue eyes and grinned self-consciously when   
Kaichou's attention turned to her. Across from them, Meri stopped behind   
Ryoko and rested a hand on top of her head. Rei looked highly uncomfortable,   
as if he was the only person present who didn't possess such a bond, though   
he knew perfectly well that Kasumi had even less of an idea of it than he   
did.  
  
For a long moment, Suoh felt completely at ease. Here, on this ferry, there   
were no dangers and no responsibilities. All that existed was him, his   
family, and the boy who was his only reality.  
  
And Akira, surfacing from below-decks with a platter of sandwiches for   
everyone.  
  
Ryoko and Meri separated, discomfited; though ordinarily Akira was a common   
enough presence in Suoh's life so as not to disturb him from his more   
introspective moments, their embarrassment was enough to raise similar   
feelings. He shifted, swinging Kasumi to sit beside him.  
  
Rei clambered to his feet just as Wakaba's voice echoed from the other half   
of the ship, screaming something about rats. Everyone except Nokoru and   
Akira cast him sympathetic glances as he jogged off to chase off the rodent.  
  
That could've been me, Suoh realized with a chill. I could've gotten some   
fragile, defenseless creature who panicked at the sight of an insect and   
needed my help to cross puddles. And I don't even want to think about what   
could've happened if I'd gotten someone even more like Wakaba!  
  
He'd never been so glad to have Nokoru as his One.  
  
"Come sit and eat with us, Akira," Nokoru invited easily, dropping to the   
deck beside Kasumi. "You made those sandwiches, so you ought to be able to   
enjoy them."  
  
"Oh, I couldn't," Akira said, earnestness shining in his eyes. "I have to go   
see if Wakaba-san would like some--"  
  
"She won't," Kasumi snorted. "Stupid bitch is probably bulimic, anyway--"  
  
Suoh smacked her head again. "Rei-chan said she gets seasick, so she won't   
be in the mood for anything to eat. Feel free to have lunch with us."  
  
Ryoko demanded abruptly, "Did you make these? Was Obasama anywhere near you   
when you made them?" She snatched a sandwich half from Meri's hand and   
glowered at it suspiciously.  
  
"Of... of course I made them!" Akira stiffened defensively. No one had ever   
criticized his food before. "What... what are you suggesting?"  
  
Taking a large bite out of the sandwich, Ryoko ignored him. She swallowed   
and waited patiently, analyzing the taste and her immediate reaction to it.  
  
The three guests stared. Meri made a half-hearted attempt to steal her lunch   
back. Suoh, somewhat more used to his family's strangeness than the others,   
took a sandwich of his own and began eating calmly. He knew perfectly well   
that Akira wouldn't have allowed Hahaue to help with the cooking - he was a   
guest, and felt as though he needed to pull his weight somehow - and   
certainly wouldn't have poisoned the food. Ryoko didn't know Akira, however;   
she would need more assurance than his belief. Nokoru also took a half, more   
to comfort the bristling Treasurer than because he was genuinely hungry.  
  
Reluctantly, Ryoko gave the sandwich back to her One. "There doesn't SEEM to   
be anything wrong with it," she said slowly, eyeing Akira doubtfully. "If   
you begin to feel ill at all, warn--"  
  
"I... There's nothing wrong with my sandwiches," the fourth-grader   
stammered, completely unprepared for Ryoko's accusations.  
  
"Just pray," the Takamura girl said threateningly.  
  
"I was wrong," Kasumi muttered into Nokoru's ear from her position between   
the two boys. "You're not the mental case, SHE is."  
  
"Of course there's nothing wrong with your sandwiches," Meri volunteered,   
giving Ryoko an exasperated glare. She took a bite and her eyes widened.   
"It's... quite good, actually."  
  
"Even the simplest of foods are delicious when Akira prepares them," Nokoru   
laughed.  
  
Akira was beginning to smile again, relaxing slowly. Suoh wanted to throw   
something at Ryoko the minute she began to open her mouth, but didn't locate   
anything handy and non-lethal in time. "Flavor to disguise any poisons or   
drugs," she announced.  
  
Everyone gaped at her for a moment.  
  
"I think that's enough, don't you, itoko-chan?" Suoh asked quietly,   
emphasizing the 'chan' to convey his irritation at her behavior.  
  
Flicking a malevolent glance at her younger cousin, Ryoko sighed. "I'm   
sorry," she told Akira, smiling wearily. "I just don't put anything past   
Obasama. She used to try and poison my friends' food ALL the time. Once I   
even insisted on making the food. I never let it out of my sight for a   
second, but somehow she managed to get to it and I'm lucky Satoshi-san   
survived. He never DID come back to play, though..."  
  
Akira's eyes were wide by the time she finished, and he choked out an   
acceptance.  
  
"You've never done this before," Meri said reproachfully. "Are you   
traumatizing this poor child without even realizing it, or is this just a   
sadistic side of you I've never seen before?"  
  
"My family brings out strange things in me," Ryoko admitted. "Chances are,   
I've never done this before because my aunt has always been several time   
zones away from everything you came into contact with before. If she'd been   
in the same half of the world, you'd be seeing this a lot more often."  
  
"Is she really that bad?" Akira asked hesitantly, casting a glance filled   
with apprehension and unhappiness at Suoh.  
  
Great. Now he probably thinks I'm a deprived child. And Ryoko-san is   
DEFINITELY not helping.  
  
Ryoko said frankly, "She's worse."  
  
-----  
  
Insert standard disclaimer here: CLAMP Campus Detectives belongs to CLAMP   
and they put their name on it just like their mothers told them to so no one   
could steal it and it wouldn't get lost. The anime belongs to assorted   
people and the manga rights belong to assorted people and you do the   
hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around and that's what it's all about.  
  
  
Email. Review. IM. Do anything. Let me know you're reading this. ^_^  
  
Kay Willow  
kay_willow@hotmail.com 


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